Health Systems

'A health system is the sum total of all the organizations, institutions and resources whose primary purpose is to improve health.' (World Health Organization).

Sufficient human resources are vital for health systems to function. However, 57 countries, most of them in Africa and Asia, face severe health workforce shortages. WHO estimates that over four million health workers are needed to fill the gap. Sub-Saharan Africa faces the greatest challenges, with 25% of the global burden of disease, but only 3% of the world's health workers.

'Health Systems' campaigns to hold the G8 countries to account, ensuring that they support the WHO in meeting their target of 2.3 health workers per one thousand people, and support WHOs ethical code of practice for the international recruitment of health workers.'

A "Health Systems" approach seeks to support more fundamental parts of a healthy society such as:

Ensuring there are sufficient health workers
Ensuring the health infrastructure is sufficient and equitably distributed
Fighting user fees that prevent any access to health care
Fighting international restrictions on public health expenditure
Demanding universal and secure access to food and water
Developing home-grown research capability

To join the campaign please email:healthsystems@medsin.org or contact Vanessa vpe@medsin.org.

Recent Health Systems News

Health is global: a UK Government strategy 2008-13

The UK government has launched five year Global Health strategy. The report, which follows on from the publication of 'Health is Global: Proposals for a UK Government-wide Strategy' in March 2007, sets out the UK Government's strategy to improve the health of the world’s population, including that of the UK, in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the rest of the European Union.

‘[It is] our responsibility is to harness the opportunities of globalisation to improve the health of people across the world, and in particular people in the UK’.

The report highlights key global health challenges faced by both developed and developing countries, together with an action plan for tackling them. One of the five areas for action highlighted in the report is health systems strengthening. Download a copy of the report

WHO's Global Health Workforce Alliance

The GHWA welcomed workforce commitments to reach MDGs at the recent United Nations High Level Meeting in New York. Read more [here] (http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/news/mdghlm_commitments/en/index.html)

Alma Ata Symposium

Vanessa was lucky enough to attend this event held at The School of Oriental and Africa Studies in London last month. You can read her report for the Lancet Student here

A good introduction to the issue of health systems the World Health Report on health systems published by the WHO. Read it here.

Part B of Global Health Watch contains an excellent section on Healthcare Services and Systems, including the global health worker crisis, which can be accessed here. Global Health Watch 2 will be launched on Thursday 16th October 2008 in London.

The World Health Organization website contains details on WHO initiative to strengthen health systems and tackle the global shortage of health workers. Read more here.

The Global Health Workforce Alliance recently published a draft code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel that you can read here. Medsin's Health Systems Campaign made a submission to the Public Hearing which will be available on the Medsin website soon.

Read more about Oxfam's campaign to make to make free public healthcare a reality for all here